


Sweet And Low (The Other Woman Remix)

by l_cloudy



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-04
Updated: 2014-05-04
Packaged: 2018-01-21 22:53:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1566974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/l_cloudy/pseuds/l_cloudy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>Kara had never cared much for Anastasia Dualla</em>. A coda to Unfinished Business; Kara/Lee, Dee/Lee.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sweet And Low (The Other Woman Remix)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lopaka_Tanu](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lopaka_Tanu/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Sweet and Low](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/48227) by Lopaka_Tanu. 



Lee’s fist connects with her face and Kara takes it in, the _pain_ of it, and the salty taste of blood in her mouth, that unyielding sense of justice –

It feels great.

_Liberating_ , even. She’s drunk on pain, and every new punch tastes like freedom. He’s hitting her, you see, the spurned love that he is; and she’s _letting_ him – and, look, Lee, don’t you feel a little better now?

Say that you do, Lee.

Say that, maybe, she doesn’t have to feel so guilty anymore.

Hit again, Lee.

And again, and again, and _again_.

And he’s sobbing now, or maybe she is, and the fall on the mat in a tangle of bodies, drenched in sweat and blood and shame – and there must be some metaphor in there, but she’s too lazy to try and figure it out.

He’s bruised all over already, and so is she; and by tomorrow he’ll wake up with his skin covered in pretty purple flowers, where she kissed him a lifetime ago, under the stars.

_I miss you_ , the bruises say.

_If only ---_

Some nights, she wakes up next to Sam and thinks that maybe she might have made the worst mistake of her life.

Some other nights she knows she would’ve screwed up thinks with Lee anyway, and doesn’t care. She’s Starbuck, and screwing up is what she does best. Then - why not to do it with style?

Take that, mother, wherever you are. Take that, Zak, if you’re even bothering to watch anymore. Here’s your girl, the screw up – and here’s Sammy, who loves her anyway, whatever she does. Here’s Lee, who hated her once and would have again – she just speed up the whole process, and why not?

Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace, and love is poison, and –

She’s been telling that to Sam for months.  

As poisons go, she’d rather some Ambrosia.

Lee’s holding her now, and Kara thinks he might be crying. She thinks she might be, too, and it all hurts so much, but at least she’s not alone.

Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace, and she took his heart and tore it into pieces.

Walked all over it.

And what a pretty noise it made, when it shattered.

And this is her apology, offered up nicely on a boxing ring, all the words she doesn’t quite know how to say – and he took her up, didn’t he, hit after hit, and they’re fine now, friends again, like it never happened.

Please Lee, say that it never did.

Because what does it matter, if there’s a ring on his finger and a tattoo on her arm – what does it matter when they’re Starbuck and Apollo, dancing their dance in the emptiness of space, by the light of the stars?

Let’s rewind and forget and try to believe everything will be good again.

Let’s pretend life was simpler, just for a little while.

Let’s pretend, for two more minutes.

And then he moves away, _all too soon_ – and maybe she wasn’t expecting the loss of him to sting so much; and she feels cold when he pulls away.

See how you like your own medicine, Kara Thrace.

He walks away, barely, his pretty little wife holding him as he makes his way to Cottle; an she’s reminded of one day so long ago, the first time she ever saw them kiss – in sickbay, that time she put with a hole through his chest.

Oh, the _irony_.

Dee’s staring at her now, eyes darkened in anger, and it feels – odd, seeing her like that.

Truth be told, Kara has never really paid much attention to Dee before.

She never thought much of Anastasia Dualla, nothing at all.

_Why should she?_

Kara never cared for Dee, not even when Lee started seeing her, not even when they _married_. She thought it was nothing, a passing fancy.

A consolation prize.

And look at them now.

Dee swept in and took the boy that was _hers_ , because they were forever – Starbuck and Apollo, eternal like the stars and the sky. And then Kara pushed and pushed and pushed too much and something _snapped_ –

_look_ at them now, all of them miserable, and Dee most of all.

“Watch your back,” Dee tells her, and Kara feels like she might laugh.

Calm, quiet Dee, she of the pretty eyes and demure smile. The closest thing to perfection in their hell of a life, the voice that calls them home. The very embodiment of tranquility and stability, of that normal life Kara had always missed but never really wanted.

The kind of woman who can spot the good in her life, takes  it with both hands and doesn’t let go.

The kind of woman who doesn’t run away.

Watch your back, she said. Like it means _anything_.

Don’t you know it, little Dee, what’s like to come between Starbuck and Apollo? The irresistible force meets the immovable object, and you might just get crushed in the middle, dear.

Yet another shattered heart in their wake.

Dee’s fighting a losing battle and Kara might almost feel sorry for her –

but Starbuck doesn’t do compassion, or empathy, or anything at all.

Starbuck crushes, and takes, and _destroys_ all the good in her life she never deserved in the first place. She’s a drunk and failure, and everything perfect little Dualla isn’t – but she’s a damn good fighter.  
  
“What's this,” she smiles at her, stumbling like a drunk, tastes the blood on her teeth.  “Think you can take me?"

And suddenly Sam’s behind her, holding her, steadying her with his strong arms. He won’t ever let her go, Kara knows it, or she might just fall. And Sammy won’t let that happen, _ever._ Such a glutton for punishment, her man.

Kara supposes there might be a certain comfort to be had in that.

Run away, Sammy, she wants to say. Run away and never think of Starbuck ever again, before ruins you –

but she’s too much of a selfish bitch for that.

And now Dee’s fingers are grasping around her arm, strong as steel – like a cylon’s hold.

Like Leoben’s.

It _hurts_.

“I don't have to,” Dee whispers, looking downright murderous. There’s _fire_ in her eyes, all the strength Kara wishes she could have. For one moment, a fledging moment, she’s jealous.

“One day you'll be out on patrol and who knows. Accidents happen.”

And she’s gone before Kara can answer, and the words she’ll never say press against her throat. You don’t understand, little Dee, she would’ve said. We’re eternal like the stars and the sky. Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace, after all; and she loves him back in her own way, whatever that might be.

Star-crossed lovers and all that jazz, little Dee, can’t you imagine how that’s going to end?

Accidents happen, and if she ever dies –

she takes whatever’s left of Lee’s heart with her into the grave.


End file.
